Guy Gagnon Shines on a Fabulous Day
At 22h26, on September 14, 2025 • By Daniel Delisle/Traduction Laurent Sauvé
A crowd rarely seen, according to veterans François Carignan and Guy Lafontaine: attentive, engaged, colorful, with many longtime fans and also a wave of young newcomers, many likely attending their very first race day. Watching the races on TV is fine; being there in person is better! Everything seemed to be running smoothly, the outdoor sound (the only one I can judge) was excellent, the races hotly contested—more than one might have thought—the winners obviously happy and sometimes moved. In short, another successful Sunday for the Québec finals. Handing out medals is never easy, but it’s safe to say that with three of the eight wins coming from his stable, Guy Gagnon surely deserves the gold. Silver would go to Maxime Velaye’s stable and bronze to the three other winning outfits.
Gagnon’s Triple
Most fans were expecting at least two wins from the Gagnon barn: from the outstanding filly Cattlekiss and the also highly anticipated Magic Liam. A quick aside to point out that both youngsters were bred by Marcotte. People may repeat endlessly that “a race is a race,” but in reality, neither Cattlekiss nor Magic Liam faced much resistance. Cattlekiss won by 13 lengths in 1:57 over the two Du Lac fillies, Esmeralda and Chezmatante, while Magic Liam prevailed by about four lengths over Mustang Shillow from the Martin barn in 2:03.4.
Guy recalls, amused, that when he and his family went to see the yearlings at Ferme Marcotte—still out in the fields—it was Cattlekiss who came up to them first. They saw it as a sign and made an offer to Mr. Denis Marcotte for both the filly, Cattlekiss, and the colt, Magic Liam. In the latter case, Guy offered co-ownership to his two children, Frédéric and Stéphanie, and by their own convincing testimony, both are thrilled with their new experience as owners. Finally, Guy’s third victory in the finals came with Abby Rose Men, bred by Mesdames Gravel and Pelletier, with Chantal also sharing ownership with Guy. Abby had to work very hard, winning by half a length over a determined Tout En Muscle. Time: 2:01.4. A solid effort for 2-year-old trotters on a half-mile oval.
Velaye–Corbeil Double
Maxime Velaye had high hopes with six starters today. They all did well, with two wins, three runner-up finishes, and one fifth. The 3-year-old trotting filly Soleo impressed many, beginning with her driver Daniel Dubé, who looked fully confident behind a willing, fluid, and fast filly. Soleo dazzled before, and again today, so much so that she started as the favorite. She won in 1:58.3 by more than three lengths. The other win came from 2024 champion Mirabel Enfete, who overcame post 7 to defeat the formidable Silver Majesty in 1:55.1, a new record for the filly, a daughter of Leader Bayama. Among the second-place finishes, the performance of Reve stood out as he nearly toppled the seemingly invincible Bernard. Another Leader Bayama, Reve is a full brother to Lit De Rose.
Bernard, Mass Speed, and The Magic Moment
Of the three other winners this afternoon, it was Bernard who set the tone, leading every step to score in 1:56.4 to the delight of the crowd from Sorel. For William, it was his first triumph at this level. His father Guy was deeply moved by this record performance, under the watchful eyes of owners Sabrina Pelletier and Yvon Généreux, along with the real and venerable Bernard himself—91 years old, proud, and beaming with joy. Bernard has now earned nearly $45,000 from six victorious starts.
Mass Speed, Michel Allard’s trotter, also repeated last year’s success, just like Mirabel Enfete and The Magic Moment. In doing so, he set a new lifetime mark of 1:59 over a rising Royalty BN. Driver Denis St-Pierre was full of praise for this son of Missionoftheheart, well remembered by fans. By his own admission, he never had to ask the horse for much, especially after rival HP Lucas made a break.
Finally, The Magic Moment, owned by Félix Bélanger and trained by Francis Guillemette, displayed plenty of speed to hold off a menacing Changement De Temps. A time of 1:55 for a horse that had just won in 1:51.4 at Mohawk. Félix admitted that Francis had to put in a huge amount of work to reach this level after a rather chaotic start to the season.
A Resounding Success
A truly successful day. Congratulations to all the organizers—François, Cynthia, and our host Guy Lafontaine—who masterfully led a team that rose to the occasion. Whenever these people get involved, success is always guaranteed.
